Microstructure articles are used in a wide variety of applications.
Microstructure articles having water repellant surfaces are disclosed in Bhushan, B., et. al., “Toward optimization of patterned superhydrophobic surfaces,” Journal of the Royal Society publication Interface at J.R.Soc. Interface 2007 4 643-648, and in Bhushan, et. al., US patent application publication 2006/0078724 A 1 (collectively, “Bhushan”), the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. Bhushan describes patterned surfaces with discrete cylindrical pillars of different diameters, heights, and pitch distances, compares experimental data to theoretical calculation, and identifies a non-geometrical parameter that is reported to be responsible for wetting properties. Bhushan further describes that a single-crystal silicone structure that is initially hydrophilic can be made hydrophobic by coating it with a self-assembled monolayer. Bhushan further describes that a self-assembled monolayer of 1,1,2,2 tetrahydroperfluorodecyhrichlorosilane may be deposited on a sample surface using vapor-phase deposition. Bhushan also describes using photolithography in the fabrication of the superhydrophobic pattern.
Microstructure articles are also used to provide microfluidic circuits. U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,244,961 B1 and 6,423,273 B1 and U.S. Patent Application No. 2003/0206832 A1, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference, disclose microfluidic components and methods for producing those components. The components include continuous micro-pillars and micro-channels that are fabricated into silicon, quartz, glass, ceramics, plastic or other materials. The size of the channels is on the order of micrometers, and the volumes of fluids are on the order of nanoliters or microliters.